


We're All Made of the Same Cosmic Dust

by Beneath_the_Trees



Series: When Universes are Greater [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Blind Character, Child Abandonment, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reincarnation, Strangers to Friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 06:39:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14711028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beneath_the_Trees/pseuds/Beneath_the_Trees
Summary: Koray Storm was a child who grew up too fast and too alone. He was considered a troublemaker and a pain in Sector Security's side, until he gets sent to the Facility for finally managing to sneak into New Domino city on a Duel Runner he built from one of their old bikes. They thought he would stay there for years, be taught to stay in Satellite or else, but they never factored in the appearance of one Crimson Dragon, and the second Satellite boy to arrive within the month: Yuusei Fudo.





	1. Prologue: The Pharaoh's Signer

 

Longer than people have known, the Signers have been shaky friends of the Pharaoh and his court ever since they had locked away the power of the duel monsters into tablets and used them to keep order in their world.

The main reason was that powerful allies were important, but there was still a secret that no one else knew.

The signer with dark hair and vibrant eyes, seeing and yet unseeing, and the one who possessed the head of the Crimson Dragon, had taken a special place in the Pharaoh’s heart. A constant where there was no longer now that Mahad has fused with his magician. Few knew of the truth of their relationship, the quiet whispers under the stars, in their beds. Rarely did they do more than talk, but they would, on occasion, share gentle kisses that were as flitting as a star’s flicker.

The day Pharaoh’s soul slipped into the millennium puzzle was the day the Signer breathed his last, fighting with his fated brethren to protect the world from a malevolent force that would have swept the world away in a single blow.

The Signer’s soul returned to the stars, and the Pharaoh silently wept inside his slumber.

\---

Atem was tired.

He had long lost track of the time he left Yugi and his friends to move on to the afterlife, and while the world had always been familiar after regaining his memories, he had found himself enjoying his time catching up with his old court and- who he would gladly call them now- his friends.

Yet there had been a hole. The one he had hoped to see most, his beloved, had already departed to be reborn, long before Atem had finally come to stay. To his sorrow, the hole only continued to grow; each member of kingdom, young and old and in between, was slowly, steadily, deciding that their time had come. They were ready to start again and experience another life. Thankfully Mahad and Mana still stayed, but each time one of Atem’s subjects asked for his (rather unnecessary, since even if he had said no, the desire was enough) permission to be reborn, Atem could see the longing in their eyes. They too had been thinking of someday moving on. They had been there far longer than Atem.

They deserved to leave, and yet they stayed.

Eventually, the ethereal days of his kingdom blurred, and the hole grew larger still. He began to ache for the connection of a loved one. He missed his beloved Signer. He missed Yugi and his friends.

He wondered if this was why people decided it was time to move on.

First, he sent Mana on her way. She had protested, saying she wanted to stay, but the light in her eyes at the thought of finally being able to move on was enough for him to know that he was making the right choice. He told his subjects his plan; told them that they could handle themselves, like they had before Atem had returned. Some nodded solemnly, others looked happy. The decision was made-- for all of them

Atem turned to look at Mahad, smiling bittersweetly at the one who had been with him since young. They exchanged words, clasped hands like Atem had taught him, and rested their foreheads against each other. Atem murmured a final thank you, and felt as Mahad’s soul finally slipped and ebbed away, returning to the stars for the brief respite before being reborn.

Atem sighed, feeling his own mind slipping away into nothing, a wave of calm and lightness filling his body from head to toe.

 _It was time_ , He decided, _time for me to begin again_.

\----

A cry echoed through the hospital, loud and shrieking as it pierced through the walls. The moon, large and blue and blinding, looked on expectantly, while all the stars twinkled above them in a buzzing, innocent excitement. A shooting star streaked across the sky before fading just as it passed the moon, and a mother’s exhausted, twinkling laugh followed soon after.

Eyes a startling glacier blue, innocent and wide and shining with the stars, dropped further and further until the newborn child fell into a deep slumber.

The stars kissed its skin as it was placed in a crib in the nursery, the moon cast its protective glow.

The newborn’s expression scrunched up and it let out a quiet whine in its sleep, unaware of the dark, almost golden mark slowly forming over his heart in the shape of a pyramid.


	2. A Treasure Deck's Joy

Koray sighed, kicking at the floor of the Facility. Well, there went his one chance at freedom. He wasn’t sure he could make another runner when he got sent back to Satellite, and quite frankly with two trackers in his skin he was almost certain he couldn’t even get _close_ to the amount of materials he’d need. Like, say, stealing a Sector Security bike to rebuild from.

 He had to think of something, anything, to get himself out of the facility and jam the trackers in his skin permanently. The only question is what?

He’d been pondering it for weeks now, trying to come up with a way to escape, and he hadn’t gotten any closer to being able to do it. Ascension Sky Dragon burned against his hip, hiding away tucked safely in his jeans. He knew it was trying to tell him something, but he only wished he knew what.

“Hey, Tanner’s about to teach one of the newbies a lesson!”

Koray frowned, looking over at the group of men rushing towards the dueling arena in the gym. That didn’t sound good.

He followed the group, eyes widening when he caught sight of a familiar head of black and gold hair through the flood of people. He had only seen it in glimpses before, but the name that came with it was burned into his mind from Martha’s stories. “Yuusei Fudo?” He murmured, wondering just what one of Martha’s favorite boys was doing here in the Facility.

Seeing how hungry Bolt Tanner- the lead duelist in the facility and an ex-pro- was to give the newbies a good thrashing, Koray couldn’t help but feel nervous for his fellow Satellite and the eccentric old man beside him. The gaggle of followers he was next to all looked like they were waiting for Tanner to blow a gasket as the old man asked for an autograph.

Right, Tanner hated being reminded of his pro days.

“Congrats, you got your first opponent,” Tanner snarled at the old man, “And it’s yours truly! I’m gonna mop the floor with that big head of yours, and because you’ve got no deck, looks like you’ll be dueling with the reject one we put together!”

Koray winced at the mention of the reject deck. The cards were so much of a mishmash they almost didn’t work right with each other. Koray had managed, due to experience with non-archetype decks and a little guidance from the cards, but he knew there were plenty of others with a lot less luck, and they had a much harder time here because of it.

The old man let out a twinkling laugh, grinning so wide Koray was surprised it didn’t hurt. “Actually, I smuggled in my own deck, Tanner, and it’s the greatest deck ever made!” At that, Tanner let out a sound that said he was both excited and disbelieving—maybe even mocking. The old man danced back a step, pulling back his yellow vest and waggling a finger at Tanner like he knew a secret the other didn’t. “I call it my treasure deck, and it’s packed! Relics, fossils, antiques!” The old man cheered, getting even more excited as he whipped out the cars from all over his body and showing them off like a child would a brand new card.

“A treasure deck?” One of the audience asked, another finishing the thought, “How’d he get that?”

Tanner grinned, letting out a small huff. Koray instinctively crossed his arms over his chest, shifting his weight onto his foot.

“Either way, they won’t help you Grandpa!” Tanner said gruffly, although the anger had been replaced by passion. The taller male turned to Yuusei, looking at him over his shoulder as he asked, “Where’s your deck?”

Yuusei frowned slightly, looking down at the ground as he said, “Not with me.”

Tanner chuckled, “After I’m through with Gramps over here, I’ll rustle up some cards for you, and then I’ll teach you a thing or two about dueling in the Facility.” He leaned down, getting in Yuusei’s face as he said something Koray didn’t bother trying to hear. Yuusei growled, but before anything else could be said the old man was getting in between the two and pushing them away from each other, excitedly saying that they should get the show on the road.

Honestly, it was almost cute how excited the old man was over getting to show off his deck and duel someone who was apparently his favorite pro league dueler.

Koray frowned as Tanner mocked the old man’s deck, finding it rude. There was something about the deck that made it seem like the old man was telling the truth; his cards were powerful.

So, Koray watched the fight, intrigued. He kept his awe silent as the old man summoned his Crystal Skull and was shocked by it, glaring at the audience as they laughed and made fun. So the man didn’t know how to strategize; no reason to mock him for loving his treasures.

The man’s cards felt…. Familiar, somehow. The power they radiated felt like it was trying to wrap around Koray, whispers of languages he didn’t know brushings against his skin. Cards older than these people could imagine, that protected themselves and their owner with curses and hexes that when properly used, could be disastrous for the opponent.

Tanner and his little entourage continued to make fun of the old man and his cards, unaware of the glare that Koray was giving all of them as they mocked the man.

The man was shocked by his treasures again, losing 2000 life points as his Ashoka Pillar and African Spirit Mask cards were destroyed. Koray winced as not even five minutes later the old man was defeated, Tanner and his goons all laughing at the man.  The old man’s cards went flying everywhere as he fell to the ground to avoid the swooping hologram of Tanner’s monster, Yuusei rushing to his side. The man quickly scrambled to the cards, starting to pick them up as quickly as he could. Koray’s heart warmed at seeing how much he cared for them.

“Class dismissed,” Tanner hummed triumphantly. Koray scoffed quietly, rolling his eyes. Still Tanner looked over at him, daring him to say something with a growl in his throat. Koray glared, baring his teeth at him in a silent snarl. Tanner glared back, turning back to the two newbies. “You may have been here before, Grandpa, but you never dueling with the likes of me!”

Koray straightened the moment he realized where Tanner was heading, angry shivers running up his spin and making him dig his nails into his arms.

“Since you lost, that means I’m still in charge of this place!” Tanner growled, and Koray’s anger flared when the taller male stepped on one of the old man’s cards, causing him to cry out in terror. “Now get out of here and leave your _precious treasures_ with me!” As he spoke, Tanner’s group came even closer to the other two, and Koray had had just about enough. How _dare_ he step on such a precious card?

“Tanner you get off that card this instant.” Koray growled out before he could stop himself, taking a step forward. “That card is even older than you are and yet you step on it like it’s nothing more than one of the hundreds of Black Magician cards out there.” He nearly scoffed again as he took another step forward, holding his arms up as he spoke as if to shrug. “Then again, you treat even common cards cruelly, unless they help you on your way. Are you sure you’re a real dueler like that?”

Tanner turned, growling at Koray. “Oh, shut up with that sentient card crap, Koray! They’re just cards!”

“They are your _partners in battle_ ,” Koray hissed, “And I am surprised you don’t seem to realize this.”

Tanner scoffed, turning back to the old man and starting to grind the card he was stepping on into the ground. Koray and the old man both let out shouts of surprise, although the old man’s was also filled with fear for his card. “Dammit Tanner!” Koray hissed, stepping forward to pull the ex-pro off the card, when Yuusei stepped behind Tanner, placed his hand on his shoulder, and knocked the taller man’s feet out from under him.

Tanner snarled, sitting up and glaring at Yuusei. “Looks like you just earned yourself a duel.”

“Can I borrow your cards?” Yuusei asked the old man, surprising him. Yuusei crouched to be more level with the man, holding out his hand for the cards. “ _I_ can see the true value of your treasure deck.” He explained softly, taking the cards as they were nervously handed to him. Koray felt a small smile slip onto his face at the words, even as the old man and Tanner both let out sounds of confusion.

“Your cards are powerful,” Koray agreed, crouching next to the old man and helping him up as Yuusei took the duel disk and put it on his own wrist. “It’s an incredibly clever deck. You just… need better strategies.” Koray smiled at the two when he spotted the confused looks on their faces. “What? Just ‘cause I was watching doesn’t mean I’m like Tanner and his goons. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but Tanner and I don’t exactly see eye to eye.”

“We’ve noticed,” Yuusei agreed, “But introductions will have to wait.” Yuusei stood up, turning to face Tanner. “So you think this treasure deck is worthless? Then prove it, Tanner.”

“A duel? With that deck?” Tanner stood, a near scoff in his voice, “ _Please_. I want a challenge!”

“And you’ll get one.” Yuusei said calmly, “You said we duel here for respect. I think it’s about time you learn what that really means.”

Tanner chuckled, heading back to his place at the other end of the duel stadium.

“There’s no way you got the skills to take me down; you have any idea what you’re getting into with me, kid?”

“You’re about to find out.” Yuusei said calmly, completely unaffected by Tanner’s cockiness.

Koray tried not to smile, thinking of the stories he’d hear around Satellite concerning the Enforcers. If they were all true, Yuusei could figure out how to win, no problem.

Tanner scoffed, smirking across the dueling field. “All that’s about to happen is you being exposed and humiliated.”

“If you’re gonna quit, now’s your chance!” One of Tanner’s goons called out arrogantly.

“What good is that ludicrous deck gonna do you?!”

“Hurry and finish him off, Tanner!”

“You going to be okay, sonny?” The old man asked, lifting his hands up a bit like he might need to stop Yuusei.

“Just make sure you’re watching.” Yuusei told him.

 Koray grinned, feeling something warm in his chest as he watched Yuusei engage the duel disk. He crossed his arms over his chest, both because he needed something to do with his hands and because it helped to press against his chest like it was pushing the feeling away. “Yuusei is an amazing duelist, he’ll be fine.”

The old man frowned, uncertain and still clearly worried. Something flashed across his face, and Koray wondered just what he was thinking about Yuusei.

Yuusei and Tanner engaged their duel disks, starting the duel. Tanner moved first, bringing out his Landmine Spider and placing two cards face down before ending his turn. Koray looked over at Yuusei, seeing him calmly looking over his hand. The old man let out an uncertain whimper.

“Old man,” Yuusei said suddenly, not looking at the two behind him as he spoke, “Dueling breathes life into cards… and breathing life into them in a duelist’s duty. If cards that’ve been stepped on feel pain, then imparting them joy by winning is also a duelist’s duty.”

Koray stared at Yuusei, a little surprised. He had known Yuusei’s standing as a duelist in the Satellite, but he hadn’t known Yuusei was also one of the few remaining people who believed the cards were more than just that—cards.

Koray pressed his arms against his chest a little more tightly, subconsciously thinking about the mark on his chest as he did; for some reason, the revelation made his chest feel warm.

Yuusei drew a card; the Ashoka Pillar, Crystal Skull, and a card Koray had yet to see all present on the picture. He placed it in his hand and immediately moved to the Crystal Skull card to play it, even as the old man warned him not to. Just what was his plan?

Yuusei played Crystal Skull, putting it in defense mode. The curse started to activate almost immediately, prompting Tanner’s audience to burst into a fit of laughter. Koray huffed, gripping his arm a little. Yuusei wasn’t done yet.

“I activate the Quick-Play Magic, Curse-Returner Hitogata Doll!” Yuusei exclaimed, playing the card. Koray watched with a grin as the Crystal Skull’s curse bounced to Tanner instead, taking away his 1000 life points and keeping Yuusei’s unaffected.  

Already he could feel the old man’s cards picking themselves back up, feeling prouder and surer of themselves after failing to protect their owner before.

Tanner and his buddies stared in shock at the move Yuusei made, and Yuusei explained just what Curse-Returner Hitogata Doll did.

“Who’d have guess you could use Crystal Skull’s curse like that?” The old man said softly, awed by how Yuusei used his deck. Koray smiled at him.

“Your deck has lots of ways to turn the opponent’s cards and the curses around. Sometimes you just need to get creative.”

“The cards answered back.” Yuusei also added, looking over his shoulder at the two as he continued, “The same Crystal Skull they trashed as being useless has gained great strength by drawing from its friends.”

“Friends?”

Yuusei smiled gently, “The cards you collected together here.”

The old man chuckled, smiling back at Yuusei as he said, “Sonny, you sure are somethin’..”

Koray smiled as well, nodding in agreement. The smile was quickly wiped away and replaced with a scowl as one of Tanner’s goons shouted that “It’s just dumb luck! There’s no way that freakin’ Satellite punk can beat you!”

“No,” Tanner said calmly, grinning, “That wasn’t just dumb luck. He knows his way around a duel.” Tanner’s grin got even bigger, “It’s getting me pretty psyched!”

A few seconds later, Tanner was summoning Bull Ogre and then Great Bull Ogre to attack Crystal Skull. The old man whimpered, watching as Crystal Skull was destroyed and Yuusei was directly attacked before ending his turn.

Yuusei drew his next card, playing Ashoka Pillar in defense mode and activated Stonehenge from his hand. Koray felt a small smile tug at his lips as he managed to bring Crystal Skull back, although it brought down Yuusei’s life points to 400.

“Well, it’s a safer move than just keeping Ashoka Pillar there, but I hope you have a plan, Yuusei.” Koray said softly, glancing down from the back of Yuusei’s head to the cards in his hand. “Otherwise one more attack and you’re done.”

“Do you really think so?” Yuusei asked, unfazed by the current position he was in and setting one of the cards in his hand facedown before ending his turn. Tanner made to attack again and finish the duel with his win, while Yuusei activated the Permanent Trap card Totem Pole.

A third of the totem flew out from it’s place, rushing forward and taking the attack meant for Ashoka Pillar. Koray grinned; so Yuusei _did_ have a plan.

Thankfully, this duel was just about over.


	3. Satellites Are More Important Than They Seem

Tanner laughed, “I’ve got you now, Satellite punk. Permanent Trap, Spider Web Castle, active!”

Spiderwebs filled the dueling stadium, building a castle on Tanner’s side of the field. Koray frowned, huffing softly as Tanner explained what it did. Hopefully this wouldn’t stop Yuusei from winning.

Tanner placed a card face down and ended his turn, smirking all the while.

Yuusei drew his next card, peeking at it after he drew. The smallest of smiles graced his features; confusing Tanner and his goons while it made Koray grin again. “Looks like Yuusei’s about to win.” He said softly, more to himself than the old man, watching as Yuusei made his move.

“Piri Reis Map can add one monster with an attack of 0 from my deck into my hand,” Yuusei explained, taking the card that he summoned from his deck and playing it. “I summon the card I added to my hand: Cabrera Stone!” His lifepoints dropped once again, falling to 200 as the old man happily talked about the artifacts on Yuusei’s field. As interested Koray’s eyes widened as he realized just what Yuusei had set up; that card he had noticed earlier in his hand had the three artifacts Yuusei had in play on it.

“I activate the Magic card. Triangle O!” Yuusei exclaimed, activating the card. Koray watched in awe as a glowing blue triangle spread out across the playing field and each card started to crack and crumble. “Triagnle-O destroys all cards on the field! And, the damage I take from the destroyed card’s effects gets taken by the opposing player!”

The old man’s cards were bursting with joy as they were destroyed along with Tanner’s and their pieces turned from Yuusei, moving to attack Tanner. The ex-pro covered his face instinctively as the pieces flew at him, disappearing as they reached him and dropped his lifepoints to 0. Tanner dropped to a knee and his buddies crowded around him; Koray grinned, feeling an overly ecstatic shout building in his chest.

“You’re somethin’ else, sonny! Bouncing back the damage you received- 3000 points even- and winning like that!” The old man exclaimed, hugging himself excitedly as he continued, “That never even came to my mind!”

“That was awesome, Yuusei!” Koray cheered, bounding over to Yuusei and fighting the urge to clap him on the back or jump and grab his shoulders. “I knew you were an amazing duelist, but you really took my breath away!” He chuckled, grinning at the taller male.

Yuusei looked at the two of them, smiling gently. “All I did was relay the card’s wishes,”

Koray nodded, giggly as he felt the excitement and pleasantness coming from the old man’s deck now that they had won. “They’re very pleased about it, too. And say thanks.”

“Oh… sonny…!” The old man cried, tackling Yuusei in a tight hug and trying to kiss his cheek. Yuusei leaned away even as Koray covered a laugh with his hand and a cough, unnecessary warmth spreading through his chest at the fond expression on Yuusei’s face.

“You winning by not engaging once must mean the cards chose you.” Tanner’s voice brought Koray’s attention back to the present, making him frown as the man walked over. “That was a fine strategy. I’ve gotta hand it to you.”

“Oh, so _now_ you believe me over cards having emotions and thoughts of their own.” Koray grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes at Tanner as the old man finally let go of Yuusei and took the duel disk back. Yuusei simply looked at Tanner, waiting for him to continue.

“Didn’t dawn on me that’s how you’d duel,” Tanner explained, grinning. “What’s your name?”

“Yuusei.”

Tanner looked at him for a few moments before turning to the old man, “Old man, I’m sorry for stepping on your card earlier.”

“Don’t worry, it’s no problem.” The old man assured, grinning all the while. Koray tensed as Tanner’s gaze shifted to him.

“Koray, I—”

“Don’t even bother,” Koray huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away. “If you’re apologizing then I accept it, I guess.” He turned back to Tanner, pointing at him, “ _But_ if you ever treat a card like that again I _will_ hunt you down.”

Tanner’s eyes widened, holding his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay! I won’t do it again.”

“Anyway, look!” The old man exclaimed, showing some of his cards to the group. “See? Looks like Crystal Skull is laughing, doesn’t it?”

Koray laughed softly, looking at the card and nodding. Crystal Skull _was_ laughing, after all. It was proud to have helped its owner. “It is! Crystal Skull is really happy it could be useful to you, Yuusei, Old man.”

“Call me Yanagi!” The Old man said with a laugh. “Now what’s your name?”

“This boy here is Koray; came in about a week ago and nearly beat me with a deck we scrapped together for him.” Tanner explained, clapping Koray on the back and knocking air from his lungs as he did. “He’s a sneaky little devil from what I hear; from the Satellite, just like you Yuusei. Only flaw is that he seems to think cards are sentient.”

“They _are_ , you’re just too dumb to feel it.” Koray huffed, swatting the older man’s hands away.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say kid,” Tanner dismissed looking back at Yuusei, “Listen, it’d be a crying shame if you get hidden in the rough like this. I sure would like to send you off to the Pro World.”

Yuusei smiled again; a small gesture that had Koray’s chest warming up again. Inwardly, he frowned, wondering just why it was happening in the first place. He’d literally _just_ met Yuusei, so why was he feeling like this?

“Duel me again sometime?” Tanner asked, holding out a hand. Yuusei took it, agreeing to another duel. Koray smiled at the sight.

The warmth of the moment, though, was quickly disrupted and replaced with a chill as two of the security guards of the Facility appeared. “Number 88! You’re being interrogated. Chief’s conducting it personally.”

Koray felt a shot of ice go through his heart, looking at Yuusei worriedly. Why would they need to interrogate him?

“Yuusei, be careful.” Koray mumbled, instinctively turning away from the guards and more towards Yuusei as he spoke. “This doesn’t sound good.”

“Hey! Number 79; don’t think we didn’t hear that!”

“Oh, like you guys don’t have power trips.” Koray spat, growling at the guards. He’d only been here a week, but he’d already seen a good portion of the security guards act just as terribly as the head warden. Had nearly been on the receiving end of their tempers a few times as well. Especially since he’s never been one to stand by and watch when something he felt was wrong was happening right in front of him.

The shorter one growled, glaring at Koray. “You’re lucky we just need 88.” He warned. Unconcerned by the threat, Koray stuck his tongue out at the guards and gave them a glare in return.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Yuusei shaking his head slightly.

“It’s fine.” Yuusei assured softly before walking over to the guards. The guards each grabbed an arm before pulling him away, leaving Koray growling at their backs and a sinking feeling in his gut.

“Oh, he’ll be fine!” Yanagi assured carelessly, like nothing wrong could ever happen in the facility when their head warden was an absolute pig. “It’s routine, right?”

“He was charged for the same thing you and I were, right?” Koray asked, “Trespassing? They didn’t interrogate either of us.”

“Well, maybe it’s ‘cause he was dueling, too!”

Koray shook his head, unease swirling in his gut. None of this felt right; Koray was taken for trespassing and having an illegal duel runner, much like Yuusei, and yet he had not once been taken to that gross man of a Head Warden under the need for investigation. There had to be something more going on underneath the surface.

“Dueling?” He asked instead, feeling the birthmark on his chest warm like it was a hand pressing against him ever so lightly.

“Something’s fishy here,” Tanner said slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. “They must have investigated him before he came here. What else could be looking into?”

“…What is there to investigate, though? From what I heard from our caretaker, Yuusei’s never done anything wrong unless it was for the right reasons, like protecting his friends. At most, he was just a nuisance to Sector Security like I was.”

Tanner grumbled under his breath, glancing towards the groups of people still inside the gym and the guards beyond. “The warden of this place, Takasu, is a pretty though customer…. I’ve got a bad feeling about all this.”

Koray reached up and rubbed at his birthmark with the heel of his hand as it stung uncomfortably, letting out a sigh. “Same here… We should have faith that Yuusei will be alright though; he’s from the Satellite, he’s tough.”

Tanner scoffed, smirking at Koray. “Tough, or stupid like you?”

Koray growled. “Listen I may be stupid but at least I’m actually doing something about these guards and their awful behavior.”

“Stupidly brave is still stupid, kid.”

“Keep talking like that and I _may_ just have to punch you, Tanner.”

\----

Koray rubbed at his birthmark again, pressing the heel of his palm into his pectoral. For some reason, that area of his chest had been aching ever since Yuusei was taken to Takasu, and it had been hours now. Was Yuusei back in his cell yet? It was almost time for lockdown, and he hadn’t caught a single glimpse of the black-and-golden-haired teen.

He sighed as he stepped into the shower stall, shaking his head. He shouldn’t dwell on it too much; maybe it was nothing. He stripped of his clothing and set them over the shower stall door after making sure Ascension Sky Dragon wouldn’t slip from his hiding spot.

Knowing now that Yuusei was here in New Domino, trapped in the facility and had been caught dueling…. It made something in Koray’s chest twist uncomfortably, like something had been set into motion and that things weren’t going to be simple anymore. He thought back to the pain in his chest that had suddenly flared to life the night before Yuusei got there, how it had been painful enough to bring him to his knees and then faded only minutes later. The faint, almost ethereal cry of a dragon that came with it.

It felt like far too much of a longshot, but did Yuusei have something to do with it, or was it the far more obvious answer that all the disease and pollution of Satellite finally claiming him as the next victim.

Koray lost himself in his thoughts as he washed his hair, trying to be quick about it so as not to make either the guards or waiting prisoners angry. As he rinsed the soap out of his hair, his gaze fell to his chest, and what he saw caused him to yelp and stumbled back so violently he ended up slipping and slamming into the door. He threw his hand out to the side, grabbing onto the wall divider to keep himself from falling onto the ground as his heart pounded in his ears.

“Hey! What’s going on in there?!” Someone shouted, and Koray managed to get enough of his wits back to straighten himself back up and reply.

“Nothing! Just a spider!” He lied, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. Laughter echoed in the room, but Koray could barely hear it as he looked back down at his chest, a shaky hand coming up to touch at his birthmark.

Faint, grey lines forming some sort of design were over the golden marking that had never- _never_ been there before. He traced over them with a finger, trying to figure out if they looked like anything specific from the rather unconventional angle he was forced to look at it from without a mirror. It almost seemed like they were drawing attention to the middle of the triangle; the burst effect of the center lines creating a rough oval before cutting into straight lines like it was clasped together with a hinge of some sort.

“What the hell…” He whispered, heart lurching and lodging itself as a lump in his throat as he proceeded to cover it with a hand and finish his shower even faster.

That wasn’t normal.

\-----

 

“Come on, 88, move your feet!” Koray sat up quickly in his bed, eyes focusing on the brightly lit hall just outside the bars of the cell window. He zeroed in on the two guards and Yuusei on the other side, leaping to his feet and quickly crouching as he made his way to the window.

His stomach twisted into knots when he saw how Yuusei stumbled between the guards, looking less like he was walking between them and more like he was being carried and dragged. Was he alright?

Koray watched the guards lead Yuusei to his cell until he couldn’t see them anymore, dropping the rest of the way onto the floor and turning to face the dark cell. He rested his head against the cell wall, sighing softly. Something about this whole situation with Yuusei worried him, sitting like a rock in the pit of his stomach. Just what made them feel they had to investigate Yuusei?

He frowned, tapping nervously on the floor with his fingertips. Just what did Yuusei do before coming here? Was it because he was caught dueling someone before coming here.

At that thought, Ascension Sky Dragon warmed at his hip, and Koray shifted just enough to pull it from the pocket of his pants. He looked at the colorful dragon; smiling at him. “Do you know anything, buddy?” He whispered, running his thumb over the dragon. He wished Ascension could actually talk to him; maybe he’d be able to shine some light on this whole situation.

As he watched Ascension, the dragon on the card slowly seemed to shift and move on the card, Koray’s eyes widening as the sound of a low rumbling growl softly started to fill the air. He quickly glanced to his cellmate and then checked outside, the growl suddenly stopping as he looked away. “What the…?” He mumbled, looking back down at the card like it’d explain what just happened.

Instead, he was met with silence and a still card; a light pressure on his chest that only made his confusion get stronger.   

Koray bit his lip, watching Ascension for a while longer before shaking his head and pocketing the card, creeping back to his bed and slipping under the covers. He had to be more tired than he thought; there was no way Ascension had just… come alive like that.

Right?

\----

“Yuusei!”

Koray ran over to his fellow Satellite and his cellmate, scanning him over for any bruises or swellings. “Are you feeling okay? You were gone for hours yesterday!”

“Oh, I’m alright.” Yuusei assured, smiling kindly. “They didn’t get _too_ rough.”

Koray frowned, not believing for a second that they didn’t get too rough. He shook his head, sighing softly instead of arguing. “What’d they want?”

Yuusei’s eyebrows furrowed with thought, “They were searching for a birthmark that appeared on my arm a couple days ago, at the stadium.”

“...A birthmark?” Koray asked, his mind drifting back to his own birthmark and the odd markings that had formed on it the night before. If they were looking for a birthmark… does that mean they were actually looking for Koray and took Yuusei by mistake? His stomach lurched at the thought.

 Yuusei and Yanagi both stared at him with confused and awed expressions, respectively, eyes focused on a point just below his head. Looking down, Koray’s eyes widened when he noticed his hand had gone to rest over his birthmark, and he quickly moved it back down to his side. “Why are they looking for birthmarks?”

“Oh! There’s this amazing legend that—” Yanagi’s excited chatter immediately cut away as they walked past guards and went into the gymnasium. Still, Koray’s interest was immediately peaked.

“Legend?”

“Do you know the legend of the Crimson Dragon, sonny?” Yanagi asked, his voice far quieter now. Koray nodded.

“Bits and pieces… It’s a legend from South America; the People of the Stars… they worshipped the Crimson Dragon and said it’d protect them from some sort of great evil, right?”

“Mhm~!” Yanagi agreed cheerfully, grinning and pointing up at the ceiling. “And do you know that there are people born with the ‘mark of the dragon’, or the dragon birthmarks that’ll call it out? They’re called Signers.”

“So… The Security Bureau is looking for possible Signers?” Koray asked, feeling something in his chest unravel at the mention of the birthmark being related to a dragon. Maybe that meant they hadn’t taken Yuusei instead of Koray; although he was still concerned for his safety after they investigated him. Yanagi and Yuusei nodded, although Yuusei still looked rather skeptical.

Koray was quiet for a while, taking in the information he was given and crossing his arms over his chest while tapping his cheek in thought. Yanagi’s theory about the Security Bureau searching for Signers felt… right, for some reason. The longer he pondered over it the more it made sense and just made something in his chest ease, almost. Something ate at the legend in his mind though; like there was a piece missing. There had been something that when Koray was learning of the legend, didn’t add up.

The Crimson Dragon was summoned by the signers, who all had a dragon—

_Dragons._

Koray’s eyes widened as the missing piece fell into place, and he jerked his head up to look at the two in front of him. “Wait, but _there are more than five dragons_.”

“Ten dragons?” Yanagi asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “I’ve never heard of that.”

Koray nodded almost violent, an old, fading memory of his father telling him about Ascension Sky quickly rising to the surface. “It’s not well known; all those dragons started off as evil Duel Dragons. They take over their holders with their miasma if not properly controlled or strong enough. There are only five Signers though; five cards that won’t take over their owner…. At least, I think that’s how it went. I thought nothing of it and never learned more about it after my father told me about our card’s history.”

“Which five are those?” Yuusei asked. Koray shrugged helplessly.

“…. I don’t know,” He admitted, digging through fading memories as he tried to remember more information. “My father’s card is one of the bad ones, but he and I are both strong enough to not be affected by the miasma.”

“You have one of the cards?!” Yanagi gasped, eyes lighting up in excitement, “Can I see it? Pretty please?”

Koray smiled apologetically, shaking his head. “Sorry, it’s far too special to show here; if they find out I have it, they’ll take it away from me for sure.”

Yanagi deflated at the news, but he nodded in understanding. Before anything else could be said, Yuusei was quick to bring focus back to the fact the Facility and the Security Bureau were looking for the Signers.

“If they’re looking for the Crimson dragon though… are they looking for the _good_ Signers, who will summon the dragon and save the world, or are they looking for the _bad_ Signers who can seal it away for their own purposes?”

Koray shrugged, gnawing at his lip. “Who knows? Ascension Sky is pretty useless as a scary ol’ dragon. He and I are best friends, but I’m no Signer. I don’t have a ‘Mark of the Dragon’, and my father certainly didn’t, but I can’t say any others didn’t.”

“Really? No mark at all?”

Koray shook his head, frowning. There had to be something he didn’t know about, something that either connected his own birthmark to all this or made his thoughts that there are “bad Signers” out there completely wrong. Crimson Dragon wasn’t exactly the _purest_ of Gods out there, after all; it could have helped create the other five dragons just to make its existence more interesting.

“We’ll figure it out,” He said after a moment, giving his own words a firm nod, “For now, we need to just work to find out way out of here.”

\----

 “For today’s correctional education program, we have invited Director Rex Goodwin from the New Domino City Public Security Maintenance Bureau and will _enjoy_ his speech on public security! Be sure to hear what he has to say!” Takasu commanded. Koray fought the urge to cross his arms over his chest from his place near the others, rolling his eyes instead. Whatever this man had to say, Koray felt he wouldn’t like a single word that came from his mouth.

Rex Goodwin’s gaze scanned over the crowd, landing on Yuusei for way too long a period of time before it dropped onto Koray. Koray glared.

“There is a great amount of significance in me sorting the people of both New Domino City and Satellite as I did,” Goodwin began. Koray could already feel fury building up in his chest? There was a _reason_ he left all of them to rot there in the Satellite? With no way out and New Domino’s trash piling higher along their streets each day?

“The two worlds complement one another and develop on. There’s both necessity and reason in the existence of those who dwell in Satellite, as residents of Satellite, for those who dwell in Domino City, as residents of New Domino City.”

 _If we’re so important, why are so many of us orphaned? Why do we live in broken down parking garages, subway tunnels; why are we treated like the garbage you send?_ Koray balled his hands into fists, biting the inside of his cheek to hold his tongue.

Goodwin descended from the podium, voice still strong as it carried over the groups of prisoners and he walked through the carefully positioned squares they were forced to stand in. “Nevertheless, coming out od Satellite would throw the order of the world into disorder. A single individual’s reckless actions causes trouble for their friends and acquaintances.”

Koray’s patience was wearing thin, blood pumping through his veins too hot for him to handle. He could just _hear_ the smug smile of Goodwin’s face as he stood there, openly threatening Yuusei and probably him, too. He felt some of his cheek give way, the taste of tart, watery metal flooding over his tongue.

 _Keep calm, don’t make a scene. Keep calm, don’t make a scene._ He chanted in his head, taking deep breathes to calm himself.

“And, on occasion, it may be accompanied by _pain_.”

Goodwin continued to parade around the room, giving his speech that made Koray’s blood boil with each comment made about how Satellites should stay where they were and be _happy_ with their pieces of junk because if they didn’t then New Domino would actually have to accept they treat them horribly and change it, like it was some crime to the world.

The entire time, Koray did his hardest to hold his tongue, and he was fairly certain his mouth would be sore for weeks now as he bit on his cheek until it went numb and he’s sure the puncture wounds from his teeth were swollen and dark red. At this point he wasn’t even sure he knew what was being said; his anger only steadily climbing with each thing Goodwin said.

“…. Enough.” Koray hissed, another remark about how much lesser those in the Satellite were searing itself into his skin. The prisoners around him all tensed, and the mood in the air immediately shifted as even Goodwin fell silent. “That. Is. _Enough_.”

“Number 79, hold your tongue!”

Koray snapped, whipping his head around to glare at the guard. “I will _not_ hold my tongue! This man spouts foul lies and I will not stand by and listen as he does so!” Koray barked, pointing an accusing finger at Goodwin and turning back to face him. “You act as if you treat the Satellite as fairly as you do New Domino, you act as if us _wanting a better life_ is a taboo we should not reach for and I am sick and _tired_ of it!

“The Satellite is a pig sty; many of us are starving and living in ditches on the road if we aren’t lucky enough to either be a part of a Home or find a space to live in that’s falling apart just as badly as all the trash you give to us. We are not some sort of yin to New Domino’s yang- all we are is you _trash dump_ , and we deserve to be here as much as you do in your fancy loft in the sky!”

“Number 79 you _will_ be quiet!”

“We aren’t allowed to leave because if we all managed to escape, you’d have no one left to rot away and share the truth about what’s happening over there to all of New Domino!”

“GET HIM OUT OF HERE!” Takasu barked, and all the prisoners around Koray scrambled, Tanner pulling Yuusei and Yanagi back as the guards grabbed Koray. Koray snarled, pulling against their hold and somehow managing to get one of his feet high enough to kick the one with—was that a _taser_?!- in his chest.

“Goodwin, you are a liar and a thief!” Koray growled, “You are stealing the lives of everyone in Satellite and acting as if it’s for some sort of greater good! You’re no better than the trash you send over!”

“That’s enough out ‘a you!” The same short guard who took Yuusei away yesterday huffed, slamming his fist into Koray’s solar plexus. It caused Koray to crumple almost immediately, a wheeze the only thing that could escape him as he stumbled from the guards’ rough dragging.

Alright, so he was finally caught, and it was because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

Koray couldn’t find it in himself to feel upset that this was how it’d went.


End file.
